Ribbon Creek, Kananaskis Village

I can finally add Ribbon Creek to the list for this winter. I went the non-recommended direction but the steep hills were easy to descend on the excellent conditions.

Old Ribbon Creek

Snow and air temperature at 1:30 pm at the Ribbon Creek parking lot were both -4°C. It was blustery to the south but clear to the north. It snowed for a few minutes while I was climbing to the Kovach Lookout.

Map

The tracks were a bit glazed so I used VR50(0/-4) and had good grip. The only (minor) complaint was some tree debris on the trails. With the sticky wax, my skis had pine needles embedded at the end of the day.

Coming to the S-turns on Upper Kovach

I did the big loop plus a bit more. It included Hidden, Coal Mine, Ribbon Creek, Link, Kovach, Kovach Lookout, Terrace, and Terrace Link. There was plenty of snow on the S-turns while descending Kovach from the Lookout so they were safe and easy to navigate.

Kovach Lookout

I talked with a couple skiers who had skied Bill Milne to the Mt Kidd RV Park and back. They said it was in good shape except for a few places where the tracks were drifted in.

Terrace

I also checked out the new Skogan Connector. It begins at the Hidden/Coal Mine junction and goes east for 400 metres to join up with Lower Skogan. It has been constructed to enable skiers to avoid the big ice flow on Lower Skogan as you leave the Ribbon Creek parking lot. It loses 15 metres of elevation and flows nicely, and was very enjoyable. Of course, I had to climb those 15 metres of elevation to get back to Coal Mine.

Terrace trail north from the village is wonderful, and as good as I’ve ever seen it, with a nice wide skating lane. Terrace Link has been widened and can be skated as well.

Skiing on the section of Old Ribbon Creek which escaped the flood, for me, is like visiting an old friend. This is where I learned to ski and it brings back many happy memories.